Our Journey of a Thousand Miles
by absinthedream
Summary: A series of drabbles about our favorite duo.


**Affinity**

As she sank into the impossibly white sand that seemed to stretch for miles, Kimiko allowed an aura of contentment to wash over her like the pale, foaming waves sloshing to and fro along the shore. Her sandals had been discarded long before, and she curled and flexed her toes against the cream colored grains with a purpose. Ah, bliss.

Knowing how pale she was, the young girl wondered if her petite form melded with the sediment around her. Was she even visible out here? Her obsidian hair would stand out at least. Maybe the exuberant sun beaming down at her would take care of that. Even if she burned a little—she had chided when Clay had tried to bring an umbrella for her—her skin would be healthier than it had been before. Natural sun-kissed pinkness was better than having what she liked to call a 'mime complex'.

She spent way too much time inside with her PDA curled into a possessive grip for her liking. It was a bad habit she wanted to break, which was why she had been so fired up about their latest Wu conquest.

Dojo's overly sensitive nose had led them to Monte Carlo, a sovereign microstate located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. Kimiko had read plenty of travel articles about the beach district online over the years and vaguely recalled a family vacation taking place there when she was a toddler and her mother was still… around.

Her mind clouded when she tried to remember the woman who had carried her for nine months. She could make out the shape of a slender, charismatic woman that had cradled her with tender hands paler than the moon.

Abigail Jasinski-Tohomiko had loved her daughter and her husband in the same way that Kimiko loved video games. When she grew bored with one and had beaten it several times, she pushed it aside in favor of the newest console on the market.

Motherhood had just been a phase for her.

Before Toshiro established his company he had been poor—trudging home daily from his two jobs as a grocery bagger and an IT consultant to join his wife for dinner before heading to his toy workshop in the basement. With hardly any money, Abigail realized that her dream of being a relaxed housewife would never come to fruition. When she had finally had enough and dubbed him a failure, Abigail packed her things and drove off with a Swedish investor into the sunset, leaving Toshiro alone with his debt and his crying two-year-old daughter.

Tohomiko Electronics had been founded just two months later—the irony of it all always made Kimiko laugh bitterly to herself.

They never saw Abigail again.

The Dragon of Fire's eyes widened as she realized where her thoughts were drifting and she shook her head at their scorching heat. She was at the beach with her dearest friends in the world! This was not the time to feel unexplainable longing towards a woman she would rather burn to ashes (okay, maybe _metaphorical_ ashes) than hug and learn from.

 _Speaking of which, where are those four morons?_ Swiveling her head from side to side, she was surprised to find none of them within her sight. The only noises she could decipher from the cacophony of beach goers around her were the squawking of seagulls and the low rumbling of the tide crashing against the bank.

It had been a long couple of days. Their mission had been to capture the Sword of the Storm and bring it back to the temple as fast as possible. She smiled thoughtfully, recalling the overjoyed grin on Raimundo's face when he learned that a) the blade they sought was a _wind_ Wu and b) it could be found on a luxuriant coast known for its impressive waves.

That look... she often wondered how much he longed for Brazil. When she or the others brought it up he barked about how lively and colorful and exciting it was, but always grew a little quieter and more distant at the same time. If there was one thing Raimundo never wanted to talk about, it was where he came from. Instead, he focused on where he was going.

She admired that, but would never admit it.

Her Brazilian comrade had been the first to spot the Wu, as she expected. What she hadn't expected was for him to lose a showdown against the single _heaviest_ ninja she had ever laid eyes on. His name was Tubbimura, she had heard him bellow it after dropping most of his girth onto Raimundo in a stunning take-down move.

Their situation was tragic, as they didn't get the Wu, but also very comical. Raimundo had obviously not been paying attention when Omi explained the Wu's abilities and his error ended up biting him in the butt in a hilarious way. She couldn't help but laugh to herself as they dug his defeated body out of the sand. He became moody afterwards and she hated that he was so hard on himself, but nothing she tried to cheer him up worked.

The next time she, Clay, and Omi saw him was later that night. He was tucked away in the scroll room and, _get this_ , studying like a maniac. Never did she think she would see the day when the headphones would come off and the parchment would pile up. Master Fung voiced his approval of Raimundo's new attitude the next day after breakfast, and Kimiko had quickly followed suit. Seeing him in a good mood... well, it put her in a good mood too. And when they crossed paths with the overweight warrior again that afternoon and Raimundo stomped him into the dirt in his first ever Shen Yi Bu Dare, her pride and admiration of him only swelled.

Now that the Wu was in their custody, they had some time to spare and chose to spend it right there in Monte Carlo. The sound of sand being crushed beneath feet caught her attention and she tilted her head as Clay, Omi, and Dojo finally came into view. Not surprising her in the least, they appeared to be coming back from a seaside snack bar. Clay held an ice cream sandwich in his large hand and Omi was trying to mimic the cowboy's grip with his own frozen treat. The small monk seemed to enjoy the stickiness of the cream as it stuck to his nose and cheeks. She smiled. Watching Omi indulge in new activities always brightened her day. Dojo was sipping from a coconut and looking around for a place to sunbathe.

"You look like you're thinking pretty hard about something. Are you daydreaming about me _again_?" The smirk in his voice was so obvious that it hurt to listen to him.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance as she tipped her head back to look at him. The studying was new, but the Raimundo in front of her, blocking the sun's rays with his lanky body and rented surfboard, hadn't changed much beyond that. He was still as air-headed and full of himself as ever. She hated to admit it, but she didn't really mind all that much anymore.

" _Please_. I have far better things to fantasize over. Like hurling you out of the way." Kimiko let an exaggerated yawn slip from her mouth before laying back against the sand. Her eyelids had slipped closed, but she could feel him looking at her. "Now go play in the water or something. You're blocking my sun!"

She had to bite her lip to hide her smile as he let out a high pitched whine. "C'mon, Kim. There's more to life than tanning! Just look at this beach!" He gestured wildly with his arms, forming the image of a tall, tan baboon. "It's killer! There's so much to do. Get off your butt and come surfing with me!"

His hands were gripping her wrists in seconds, and before she knew it he was dragging her behind him toward the water. She flailed and groaned when she realized that she couldn't get out of his vice-like hold. His palm was warm and smooth against her skin, leaving a trail of goose-pimples along her arm despite the heat. "Rai, I-I don't know how to... !"

"I'll teach you how! It'll be fun!" His contagious, blazing mood was already working its way under her skin as he tugged her to the edge of the shore and slid the borrowed board he had been carrying into the deep blue. It bobbed up and down patiently.

He turned to her with a wink that she couldn't help but notice was all kinds of alluring. "I think the Fire Girl needs to cool off."

Raimundo had an affinity for many things. Surfing. Soccer. Playing pranks. Sneaking about after dark. Video games. Telling jokes. Juggling. Being downright mysterious. He could even cook a mean fajita when he put his mind to it.

But his number one talent, the single thing he tried his hardest to be the best at... was making her smile.

* * *

 **affinity -** _a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something_


End file.
